Tube cutter



y 1942- E. E. CONDON 2,284,133

TUBE CUTTER Filed Sept. 8, 1941 39 6018 ,/26 L16 I g I INVENTOR. ETWZE Corzdam m, V JMWM Patented May 26, 1942 UNITED STATES FATE N T OFFICE TUBE CUTTER Ernest E. Condon, Flushing,'N. Y., assignor to V The Imperial Brass Manufacturing Company,

Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 8, 1941,'Seria1No. 409,967

. 4 Claims. m-12 new and improved tube cutter equipped with. a holding element which grips the tube beingcut on both sides of the point where the tube is to be severed. so that it continues ,to hold both severed parts of the tube in the cutter after the cutting operation hasbeen completed. M

Also among the objects of my invention is to provide an auxiliary attachment for a tube cutter which operates with the portion of the cutter bearing the cutting element so thatas the cutting element is advanced into contact with the tube, the attachment is brought into contact with the tube. also and continues to hold the tube within the cutter and the parts of the tube likewise adjacent each otherjafter the; cutting operation has been completed and which'is so arranged that the severed parts of the tube can be separated from each other and from the tool without it being necessary to retract the cutting element from its completed cutting position within the cutter. With these and other objects inview, myinvention consists in the construction, arrangeand whereby it remains securedthereto after ment and combination of the various parts of 7 my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a" tube cutter equipped with the invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the cutter shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure l; 7

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;v V

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4 showin the position of the parts of the tube cutter after the'cutting operation has been completed; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the tubeholding element with which the tube cutter is, equipped.

' Tube cutters andpipe cutters in general have been known for a great many years and particu larly cutters of the type provided with a recess for holding the pipe or tubing and a cutting element such as a disc with sharpened-edges or a knife of some kind designed to be advanced into cutting position for progressively cutting; the tube or pipe as the tube cutter :is rotated around the'circumference of the pipe. It has been found that while these cutters are satisfactory so far as the actual operation of severing one piece or pipe or tubing from another isconcerned, nevertheless as heretofore constructed, no means has been provided for gripping the severed parts 'of'the' pipe or tubing after the cutting operation hasbeen completed sothat they will not drop to the floor or fall out ofthe workmans hands in places where they cannot be easily retrieved. Likewise in thepast, no

means has been provided whereby the pipe or tube cutter'has been secured to a length of tube the cutting operation. Although it is a simple matterfor a mechanic to grip the tub-e in one hand and the cutter in the other during the cutting operation, as soon as the operation has been completed there are three pieces to be graspednamely, two ends of the tubing and the cutter, each detached one from another, so that a mechanic'has difficulty. in holding all three pieces at once. 7 V

In the embodimentselected to illustrate my'. invention, there 'is shown ,a tube cutter of a more or less conventional design comprising a body member l0 having a recess l2 anda groove 14 forholding a length-of pipe or tubing A cutter block member I6 is mounted for opera-* tion on the body andcarries a tube-cutting ,ele-' ment 18, here illustrated as a knife-edged disc. 1 The body as shown inthe drawing has a recess or channel 20 at the bottomside and at the} bottom-of the recess is a slot 22.

The cutter block-has asomeWhat rectangular shape when viewed from the side and is provided with .a fiange24 at the bottom side which fits in theslot 22 in the body. a The flange is designed to; slide back and forth in the slot, permitting the cutter block to move" from right to left and left to right, as viewed in. Figures land 2-. The block -is likewise, provided with a lateral flange 26 on each side which rests upon aflat surface 2101 the body within the recess [2. The position ofthe flanges on the cutter block can be.

observed advantageouslyin Figure 3 in company with Figure 1. In order that the block maybe permanently secured to the body, there is proaperture 36 in the cutter block. Adjacent its right-hand end the screw 32 is providedwith ular ollar as. The body is provided with w an ang c fall'ofi, one :cut end of the tube when the other an upstanding bracket #0 having an aperture"42' '15. As-showmtheannularfi v w 7 w ;0f the tube it is necessary only to pull endwise comprising a bearing for mounting-the righthand end of the screw 32.

collar 38 bearsagainst one side of 1 thebracket and the screw has a handle 44 witha collar -46 bearing againstthe other side of the brackefd thereby firmly mounting p0sition.- I u The cutter disc [8 is mounted at the left-hand end of the cutter blockias viewedin Figure 1 wherein it is received in a slot 48 and held in place by a bearing, screwf50.- The mounting :of the cutter disc can best'be seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5. i

the adjusting screwin The holding element for holding the tube cutter on alength of tube 52 both before and after the tube has been cut comprises 'a resilient mem ber-,54: shown in perspective in Figured; The resilient holding element-consists of a base portion 56 having screw holes 58 Whichisdesigned to lie against the cutter-block and be secured thereto by means of screws iifl inthe position shown in Figures 1 and 2; Asshown the holding elementhas abroadened end 62 at the lefthand side as viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 6. The broadened end is resilient in character and is curved as shownjn Figure 1 with'the concave portion of the curve directed toward the tubing 52. The resilient portion is here shown having lies on one side of the cutter disc and another part 521) lies on the opposite side.

In spite of the partsof the tube having been separated one from another by the cutting operation, the resilient portion 68 of the holding element continues to hold the severed portion 52a within the groove of the tube cutter body and the portion 66 of the holding element holds the severed portion 52b within the groove. By this action, not onlyare the severed parts of the tube held together temporarily, but also the cutter is temporarily held in position on the end of one or the other of the lengths of tube so that it will not en'dof. the tube is'iremoved.

:"When it is desired to separate the severedends parts together; howeverf. the grip, on' the tube preventsflthe tool'from falling out of the mechanic's hands-after thecutting operation is over,- Whilepe r,"rn'i tting. separation of the parts without 'any'rea'djustment of the tool. There has thusbeen provided a novel holding element for securing a tube cutterj on tubing which is very simple in its operation and which can be made a free end 64; Moreover,g the resilient portion is separated into twoparts 66 and 68 which are dividedby a slot 10 designed to receive the edge of the cutter disc.;.

Inoperatio'n, the .tubei52 of asize to be cut is placed within the groove l 4. 'Meanwhile jthe cutter block has been retracted in the recess J2 by manipulation of the handle wheel 44 0f the screw 32 in a left-handdirection'whereby, the cutter block is withdrawn out of ,the space occu-e piedby the tube; 4 After thetubehas been placed within the groove, the cutter blockismovedfrom right to left as viewed in 2 F{igures ;1 and? by rotation of the handle wheel 44. As the wheel is rotated, the cutterblock is advanced to cutting position until the edge of theeutting disc I8 is forced into contact with the circumference of the tubing. As the cutter wheelis brought into con-' tact with the tubing, the sideportions Eli-and 68 of the holding element are likewise pressed into contact with the circumference of the tubingand bent backwards due toithe resilientchar-f 1 acterof thematerialfrom which they are made,

tated and after a few rotations, the disc is ad-" vanced further'and the rotations continued until the disc passes from the positionshown in Figure I permitting the cutter dis'c'to be forced'a slight.

4 tothe'position shown inFigureEZQWhen the cutter disc occupies the'position shown'in-Figureq 5,;the :tubing is. 'severed so that 'onepairt "52c,

of the tube in; the

havingjia' groovef6r"'holding tubing, a "cutter block, membenmova'blyf mounted on the body member; having La positive feeding mechanism for'Jsetting ,Zsaidfcuttr i bldck'member at various fined" positions. relative toi the groove, a] tube'- cutting element'o'n 'the cutter block member, and a holding element attached to'oneo'f said members, having ia portion releasably urged against aij'tubei'duriii ..'a'

holding. eiefiien h olds'bne of the severed parts I groove eration has been completed.'. 7 i

Y 2. A tub-e cuttrl'cdmpri'singa body member having, agroove atlone'sidefior holding tubing, a cutter block ,membergmovablvmounted oh the body member ifofmvementtoward and away from the'groovdfa tube-cutting element on the cutteriblock .member, extension means attached to" the block and body members-fo -advancing and retracting theblocke member ;-to and from cutting position andiaI-holding' element attached to one of said.m eiriber's.having-a resilient portion positioned, etween t ne" ggrieeve and t e :cutter blo'cli member exien nggiiriio the space d e signed toireceive a tube-wherein itpresses against the tube'j when-the cutter -friember is advanced througha cutting pr'ation and wherein said iiill smepq i en d1 g seve a s prime ,lcu'tting operation wherein said;

after :the cutting: op-

her having a fixed position relative to the cutter block member, manually adjustable means attached to the block and body members for advancing and retracting the block member to and from cutting position and a holding element attached to one of said members having a resilient portion overlying the groove adjacent the cutting element in position wherein it presses against the tube when the cutter member is advanced through a cutting operation and wherein said resilient portion holds the severed parts of the tube in the groove after the cutting operation has been completed.

4. A tube cutter comprising a body having a recess therein grooved at one side for holding tubing, a cutter block movably mounted on the body within the recess for movement toward and away from the groove, a tube-cutting element on the cutter block, manually adjustable means attached to the block and body for advancing and retracting the block to and from cutting posi-' tion and a holding element attached to the cutter block comprising a fiat sheet of material having a portion anchored to one side of the cutter block and another portion of resilient character extending around the face of the .block adjacent the groove, saidv other portion having a part on each side of the cutter element, and a slot therebetween for reception of the cutter element during flexing of said resilient portion While a tube is being cut.

ERNEST E. CONDON. 

